THE SECOND FIRE
1:1 MENTORSHIP FOR THE MAN
IN THE MIDLIFE PASSAGE
The life you built is standing.
But the pulse has gone quiet.
You have the corporate or entrepreneurial role. You have the material abundance. You have the respect of your peers. On the spreadsheet of life, you are winning.
But lately, the compartmentalization is starting to fail. The man who built this life is exhausted, aimless, or unsettled. You realize the First Fire that fueled your youth - the fire of ambition, performance, and external validation- has burned down to a pile of ash.
Suddenly, it's Tuesday morning and you feel like you're performing a role that no longer fits. It’s the board meeting where you feel like an imposter in your own success. It’s the sudden realization at a social event that you are out of rhythm, out of place, and out of time.
This isn't burnout. It isn't depression. It's something else.
James Hollis calls it the Middle Passage—the moment when the life you constructed in your first adulthood begins to feel like a persona you've outgrown.
You don't need a coach to help you "biohack" or "optimize" your life. You need a companion to help you sift through the ashes to find the embers of the Second Fire.
The middle passage is the thresholdÂ
of your true adulthood.
It is not about building more; it is about becoming more. It is a slow, steady heat that fuels soul-work - the vocation and the legacy you will actually leave behind.Â
Most men don't recognize this moment for what it is. They reach for what worked before - a new pursuit, a new project, the familiar pleasures of youth. Or they double down and hope the longing goes away.
It doesn't go away.
Our culture offers almost no guidance here. There are no rites of passage, no elders waiting at the threshold, few mythic maps for this terrain. Most men cross it alone - or they don't cross it at all.
The Second Fire is a private, 1:1 mentorship for the man who senses this passage has already begun - and who doesn't want to navigate it alone.
I am not here as an "expert" with a system to sell you. I am here as a companion in the passage - one who has walked this terrain, who can sit with you in the uncertainty, and offer the reflection and perspective needed to help you find your bearings.Â
This is slow, high-fidelity work.
It is an apprenticeship to your own soul.
It asks something of you - personally, financially, and mythically - and it will not leave you where it found you.
THE CONTAINER
Live Alchemical Sessions: Twice a month, we meet for ninety minutes over Zoom. These are not typical 'coaching calls.' They are spaces for somatic inquiry, archetypal guidance, and mythic insight. You receive the full recording and detailed session notes.
The Private Portal: Between sessions, you have direct access to me for ongoing support, curated resources to deepen the work, and a dashboard to track the commitments you are carrying in your leadership and your life.
The Mythic Report: Every three months, I provide a synthesis of your arc - a deep-dive report on where you have been and what is asking for your attention next. This is your map for the terrain ahead.
Apply NowTHIS IS FOR THE MAN WHO:Â Â
- Is likely in the age range of 35-60
- Is a successful leader in business, social impact, or entrepreneurship
- Is grateful for his material success but realizes it is no longer enough to sustain his soul
- Feels the boiling point of his current role and knows he cannot keep the persona on for another decade
- Is willing to treat this passage as the dedicated work it is—financially, emotionally, and mythically
Hi, I'm Ian MacKenzie.
For a decade, I have explored the mythopoetic lineage of men's work, following the maps of Robert Bly, Michael Meade, and James Hillman, while apprenticing for thirteen years at the Orphan Wisdom School under Stephen Jenkinson.Â
My time at the Tamera research project in Portugal, where I completed four Love Schools, has deeply shaped my understanding of the relational and communal forces in men's lives. IÂ have also been trained in the Way of Council and transformational psychotherapeutics.
Before this chapter, I was a filmmaker tracking the edges of emergent culture (Sacred Economics, The Village of Lovers, and more). For the last two years, I have mentored men through an archetypal lens, combining somatic processing and ritual guidance to navigate their own life thresholds.
I have also been tempered by fatherhood and a long-term partnership to my beloved. The Second Fire is the gathering of these threads - a container built to support men through the middle passage of their lives.
WHAT MEN ARE SAYING:
"My experiences with Ian have shaped what I look for in a therapist—someone who holds space with deep care and offers creative viewpoints I hadn't yet imagined. Every session has been profound, resulting in an invaluable shift in my perspective and the drive to keep diving deeper."
- PAUL, THERAPIST
"Working with Ian has been transformative. Through our sessions, I’ve gained clarity on my values, learned to set healthy boundaries, and untangled myself from old patterns. His insights on transparency and integrity have been a key factor in my journey toward building healthier, more authentic relationships."
- MIKE, ENTREPRENEUR
"Ian made me feel seen in the muck of wanting to reclaim my own creativity. His perspective and the lived experiences he shared so honestly supported my unique pursuit of the relationships I want to create in my life."
- BRIAN, men's coach
"I’ve been most struck by the organic quality of Ian's approach. This comes from his depth of attunement and his willingness to follow his intuition. In the dance of a session with Ian, the smallest gesture can bloom into something profound."
- TYLER, COUNSELLOR
THE INVITATION
The Second Fire is an intimate six-month (minimum) commitment designed for depth, not volume. I only work with a small handful of men at this level to ensure the container remains sovereign, focused, and responsive to the specific arc of your life.
If you feel the call,  let’s begin.
